Piper PA-24-250 accident near Peyton, Colorado, July 26, 2002
On July 26, 2002 at about 9:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N6887F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Peyton, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of leaking fuel caps. Contributing to the accident was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 2002 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Peyton, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N6887F · no longer on the register · serial 24-2023
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that the fuel tanks were topped off with a total of 60 gallons of fuel before the flight. He said that he flew for approximately 3 hours and 10 minutes and the "airplane ran out of fuel." He performed a forced landing to a road, but the road ended short of the required braking distance. The pilot said that he applied "heavy" left rudder to avoid hitting telephone poles, "J" boxes, and a fence. The right main landing gear folded under the fuselage, and subsequently, the right wing and right horizontal stabilizer were bent up. Postaccident examination, by the pilot, of the fuel tank area revealed some fuel residue stains inside the fuel door. The airplane was equipped with "thermos bottle" type fuel caps and the pilot believed that fuel was being siphoned out of the tanks. In the performance section of the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH), the fuel consumption at 19.5 inches of manifold pressure, 2,450 revolutions per minute, and 6,500 to 7,500 feet cruising altitude, was approximately 13 gallons per hour.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 7,000 as pilot in command; 5,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 1, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2002; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1D5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FSD Sioux Falls CO at 6:30 pm
- Destination: 00V Meadowlake CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from COS, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.